How Layne’s Wins With Consumers: Culture, Community and Experience

Layne’s Chicken Fingers, the Soon to be FamousTM chicken finger franchise with 17 restaurants open and another 226 sold, has quite the story. Since its 1994 founding, the brand has gone from a local favorite in College Station, Texas, to franchising and spreading across multiple states in the U.S. And 30 years later, Layne’s continues to capture the hearts of consumers in its markets, drawing them in and keeping them coming back.

“Marketing has shifted to where, if you want to make an impact, you’re not marketing a brand anymore. You’re marketing a feeling,” said Ashley Reynolds, director of marketing. “We have to figure out how our guests feel about us and understand how we can grow those feelings. It comes down to the fact that people want to feel good about the decisions they’re making: Do I feel good about where I spent my money and time?”

A Genuine Connection

Offering great food at a great value is one of the first steps toward ensuring a guest is happy with their choices, but creating a larger experience around quality people and a quality environment boosts the satisfaction even further and creates space for guests to establish relationships with the brand.

At Layne’s, this manifests in a true commitment to the guests of each market Layne’s enters. Whether it’s another Texas town or locations as far as Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, each Layne’s location embraces unique elements from the local community to ensure the restaurant feels like home.

“We’re focused on the guest, not ourselves, in individual markets,” Reynolds said. “It’s super important for us to incorporate the local uniqueness of any neighborhood, down to the artwork, schools and anything else that makes the town special.”

Playful, Welcoming Environments

The combination of team culture and restaurant design serves to create a welcoming environment, and the final touches bring the entire experience together, ensuring that each guest, every time, walks out of Layne’s having felt what the Astro Chicken stands for.

Team members will always take the food and service seriously, but this doesn’t stop them from having some fun. Small quirks like odd hours — the College Station restaurant’s dining room opens at 10:27 a.m. — and an inside-joke clock wall catches guests’ attention and makes them feel like they’re part of something.

“We want to keep that hometown, welcoming feel everywhere. That’s our DNA; it’s who we are,” said Samir Wattar, chief operating officer. “We want to keep it everywhere, even in our offices. Sometimes I feel like a broken record saying this, but it’s what the Astro Chicken represents. We’re laid back, we belong, and we’re not stuffy. Guests can feel that, and they like it.”

To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/layneschickenfingers.